Croma by Flash Restaurante

In 1970, Flash Flash changed the game in Barcelona. It was a pop-art fever dream of white walls and life-sized silhouettes of photographers, serving nothing but tortillas and burgers to the city’s creative elite. Croma by Flash is the spiritual successor, the sleek, yellow-tinted younger sibling that decided to set up shop on the Avenida Diagonal, right where the suits and the shoppers collide. It’s not a reboot; it’s an evolution. If the original Flash Flash was a black-and-white photograph, Croma is the high-saturation Technicolor print.

Walking into Croma feels like stepping onto a Stanley Kubrick film set if he’d been obsessed with farm-fresh eggs and mid-century modernism. The design is unapologetically bold—vibrant yellows, clean lines, and a sense of order that feels refreshing in a city often drowning in faux-rustic limestone. It’s located in Les Corts, a neighborhood that usually trades in business lunches and high-end retail, but Croma manages to inject a dose of genuine cool into the district. It’s the kind of place where you’ll see a CEO in a three-piece suit sitting three feet away from a design student nursing a glass of vermouth and a plate of croquetas.

Let’s talk about the eggs. You don’t come here for a 'gastronomic journey' or some deconstructed nonsense. You come here because they have mastered the architecture of the Spanish tortilla. Whether you go for the classic tortilla de patatas—creamy, structural, and seasoned with the confidence of fifty years of history—or something more decadent like the truffle-infused version, you are participating in a Barcelona ritual. The review highlights don't lie; the Spanish omelette is the undisputed heavyweight champion here. It’s a protein-heavy, soul-soothing experience that reminds you why simple food, done with absolute precision, will always beat a foam-covered plate of nothing.

Then there are the burgers. In a city currently obsessed with 'smash' burgers and over-the-top toppings, Croma stays in its own lane. The Croma burger is a masterclass in restraint. Good meat, the right bun, and a legacy that stretches back to when a burger was a glamorous American import rather than a fast-food staple. And don't ignore the artichokes. When they’re in season, they’re fried to a crisp that shatters on impact, a salty, earthy counterpoint to the richness of the eggs.

The service is professional, bordering on brisk. This is the Diagonal, after all; people have places to be. But there’s a rhythm to it that works. It’s efficient without being cold. You aren't here for a four-hour sentimental chat with the waiter; you’re here to eat exceptionally well in a room that makes you feel like you’re living in a more stylish decade.

Is it a tourist trap? No. It’s too local for that, too rooted in the specific social fabric of Barcelona’s upper-middle class. Is it expensive? It’s moderate, but you’re paying for the consistency and the design as much as the ingredients. If you’re looking for a restaurant in Les Corts that offers a break from the generic mall food of L'Illa Diagonal, this is your spot. It’s honest, it’s bright, and it understands that at the end of the day, most of us just want a perfect omelette and a cold beer in a room that looks damn good. Croma by Flash doesn't just feed you; it reminds you that style and substance aren't mutually exclusive.